


before this magic melts away

by alcyonenight



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 10:40:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13075149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alcyonenight/pseuds/alcyonenight
Summary: For the Promptis Winter Exchange 2017.Prompto's in much worse shape when Noctis finds him in Zegnautus Keep.





	before this magic melts away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [apockalypsis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/apockalypsis/gifts).



When the gate opens, your eyes water and you choke before you can properly see inside. The room reeks of blood and rot. 

You pull your shirt over your mouth and nose, swipe at your eyes, and make yourself move forward, and you're rewarded with Prompto, strung up on some kind of torture cross.

It's not the best reward you could have gotten. You think he could be dead. He's not moving. He's practically drenched in blood. It's his own blood; you can see the wounds on his arms, on one of his legs, on the side of his head. Something on one of his wrists, under the cuff that keeps him in place, is dripping blood from one side and--that's pus, that's pus on the other.

But if the blood is still flowing, his heart's still going, and he's still alive, right?

You approach carefully, one step at a time. The stench is almost too much for you. But you touch his cheek, which is bruised rather than cut, and it's warm. You hold a hand over his mouth, and you can just feel a warm exhalation.

Right now, Prompto's still alive, and you're going to keep him that way. You reach into your pockets and come up with an elixir and a hi-potion, and waste no time splashing them onto him. He looks a little better when you do it, but not great. The older that a wound is, the harder it is for curatives to heal it, and it can't replace blood or mend broken bone.

But Prompto stirs, and his eyes slowly open.

"N-noct? S'it you?"

"Yeah," you tell him. "It's me. I'm gonna get you down, okay?"

Prompto's eyes rove around the room. He looks lost. "He said... you wouldn' come."

You shake your head. "Of course I came." You glance around, looking for something you can use to get him down. "Ignis! Gladio! He's here!" you call, while you're at it. 

Prompto coughs. "Controls're next to the... the door," he manages, voice weak.

You hit the button to open the cuffs and Prompto drops, and you're too slow to catch him. He lands on the floor in a heap. "Prom?"

No reply. He's probably lost consciousness again. You scoop him up into your arms and go to find somewhere safer to deal with this.

* * *

Between the three of you, you manage to get Prompto cleaned up, and then he starts running a fever.

Ignis sighs. "It's no surprise, if his wounds were already infected," he says, but you can tell he's not happy about it. "How is our supply of drinking water?"

"Canteens could use a refill," Gladio replies. "Should I go for more?"

You swallow. "Take Ignis. Please," you say, not entirely sure why you're asking.

"I don't need-" Gladio begins, but Ignis murmurs something into his ear. You don't know what it is, but Gladio goes quiet. "Fine," he says. "Don't open the door for anyone else, you hear me?"

You nod, and turn back to Prompto while they leave.

Prompto's on a cot, tucked under a single blanket, motionless. Ignis has delicately avoided so much as implying it, but you know his tells; he thinks Prompto might still die. You're not sure you disagree.

"I'm so sorry, Prom," you whisper.

Prompto doesn't respond.

You sigh and pick the damp cloth back up, wiping down his forehead again. His brows are drawn tight. Even out cold, he's in pain. You hate it. "You know I thought it was Ardyn, right?" you ask. "I didn't know it was you."

Of course, Prompto can't hear you, but it's easier that way.

"I'm going to kill him for this," you tell Prompto.

And when Prompto doesn't stir, you can keep going.

"Please don't die." You lean down and whisper in his ear. "I love you."

* * *

The next time Prompto wakes up, it's in the middle of the night, and he wakes up screaming.

"Prompto. Prompto, it's us," you tell him. "You're safe. We've got you."

But even though Prompto looks right at you, he clearly doesn't know who you are. 

"No," he says, over and over, only just clear enough for you to make out. 

You reach out for him. He throws a punch at you. You block with a hand and barely feel it, while he screams in pain, clutching at his stomach, where he's ripped a bandage off.

Gladio has to hold him down so he can't do any more damage to himself. Prompto fights him and sobs for at least fifteen minutes.

You make yourself watch, because this is your fault.

After Prompto's exhausted himself into stillness, you have to fix his bandages.

He screams through that, too, but he doesn't fight you at all, and that's even worse.

* * *

At some point, you fall into an exhausted sleep.

When you wake up, Prompto's awake, too. He's quiet, not screaming, not hyperventilating. When he sees you looking at him, he gives you a faint, weak smile.

"Were you worried about me?" he asks.

You feel like Gladio just punched you in the gut. "Of course I was," you tell him. "What kind of question is that?"

Prompto's smile spreads a little. There's still pain in it, but it looks more real even so. "Of course," he says, like he's trying on a shirt he likes.

"How do you feel?" you ask. 

Prompto takes awhile to answer you. "Not great," he says.

You make sure he sees you, then reach out and check his forehead. He's not as warm as he was. "Let's get you some water, all right?" 

Prompto's face lights up like a candle at the word "water" and it hurts to look at. He tries to sit himself up and winces. 

"Yeah, sorry, we couldn't heal up everything," you tell him. You help him up and shift around so he can lean against you. "I guess you've been here... awhile." You hand him a canteen. His hands shake as he lifts it, but he manages to drink by himself.

You look around the room. Ignis is asleep in a cot. Gladio's sleeping, too, but he's propped himself up with his back to the door. They must've just been unable to stay up any longer. You know the feeling.

Prompto finishes off the entire canteen and lets it rest in his lap. He looks you up and down for a moment. "You're wearing the ring," he says.

"I had to," you say. "I had to find you."

Prompto looks down at the floor. "The Crystal's here," he says.

"Yeah, but... I came here for you," you say.

Prompto lets his eyes meet yours for just a second, and gives you a tiny smile. "Thank you, Noct," he says.

You shake your head. "No sweat." You give him a small smile of your own, and let your head lean against his a little, mindful of the injuries he's still covered in. "I'm glad you're... still with me."

"Ever at your side," Prompto says, and leans into you a little more.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey apockalypsis! I hope this is something like what you were looking for. Your prompt was so broad I kinda had trouble deciding what direction to go in...
> 
> Trivia: I listened to [Mathemagics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9teDD_nY-KU) on repeat while writing this and I think it kinda influenced the tone more than I intended.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[PODFIC] before this magic melts away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13344162) by [apockalypsis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/apockalypsis/pseuds/apockalypsis)




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